This paper demonstrates and tries to explain the remarkable
diffusion of the "boundary" concept in recent years in the human
sciences, and in political science in particular. It will present
and discuss some of the possible conceptualizations of "boundary"
and related terms, such as "border" or "limit", using examples from
the history of the human sciences in France, Germany, and the UK.
Generally speaking, "boundary" lends itself to being understood as a
symbolic division which requires a specific kind of social activity
to be maintained ("boundary maintenance" or "boundary work"). This
is the reason why, especially after the work of Fredrik Barth, it
has had a particular success in constructivist theories, which
emphasize the artificial character of political and cultural
distinctions. This paper will seek to explore a longer history,
taking into account current developments (such as the "cognitive
turn" advocated by Brubaker and others) as much as more classical
contributions on or around the notions of boundary, border, limit,
such as the reflection on categorization and classification (e.g.
Durkheim/Mauss, Leach, Mary Douglas); on liminality (Simmel,
Turner); on national identity (Mauss, Weber, van Gennep, Aron).
